Some known vehicle systems include multiple vehicles connected together so that the vehicles can travel together. The vehicle systems may have propulsion-generating vehicles and optionally non-propulsion-generating vehicles that travel together along a route. Some vehicle systems can include one or more groups of propulsion-generating vehicles referred to as consists.
The operations of the propulsion-generating vehicles can be coordinated with each other. With respect to rail vehicles, some locomotives may be remotely controlled from another locomotive in the vehicle system. For example, distributed power (DP) control of the locomotives may involve all locomotives in the rail vehicle system (e.g., a train) being controlled to have the various throttle and/or brake settings at the same time.
Because vehicle systems may be very long, different segments of the vehicle systems may experience different grades and/or curvatures in a route at the same time. Depending on the locations of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system and the throttle and/or brake settings of the propulsion-generating vehicles, one or more nodes may be created within the vehicle system.
During movement of a vehicle system, the nodes within the vehicle system may move within the vehicle system. In some circumstances, the nodes may move toward each other until the plural nodes are at the same location within the vehicle system. This event may be referred to as a node collision. Vehicle systems may break apart into smaller segments at node collisions and/or vehicles within the vehicle system may collide with each other at node collisions. Additionally, the relative movement and/or collision of nodes in the vehicle system may impair the handling of vehicle systems.